Autopsy Shows Chicago Baby Dead When Cut by Power Saw

CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago woman is charged in the death of her 7-month-old granddaughter, who was struck in the head multiple times before having her throat cut with a power saw, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Police have said the baby girl, Rose Herrera, was killed Monday, apparently because she would not stop crying. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said Tuesday that the baby’s 52-year-old grandmother, Manuela Rodriguez, was charged with first-degree murder in Rose’s death.

An autopsy concluded that the baby was already dead when her throat was cut. It concluded that not only was the girl struck in the head with an object, but that she also likely suffocated on a sock that was “placed in her mouth,” according to a county medical examiner’s log that includes the infant’s death.

Rodriguez, who police say attempted to take her own life after the attack, was taken to a hospital for treatment for injuries that were not considered life threatening. The State’s Attorney’s Office said Rodriguez is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday. It did not immediately know whether Rodriguez had an attorney who could comment on the charge.

Residents of the quiet street in the predominantly Hispanic Little Village neighborhood where Rose was killed said the Rodriguez had some health problems but was always pleasant. State child welfare officials said they had no record of ever being called to the brick home. Neighbors said the woman and her family were always polite and did not cause trouble.

“She would help everybody and if you needed a glass of milk or something she would give it to you,” said Maria Gentil, who has known Rodriguez for several years and said she was a doting grandmother. “When my mother died, she went up and down the street asking for money for her funeral.”